Chapter 1 Please Come in Another World

"Then, manager. I'll excuse myself first okay."

"Alrighty, good work."

It's currently 9:00AM. I've finally finished the night shift and I stretch out.
I'm Izumi Nobusada. I work as a humble vice-manager of a certain convenience store.
A vice-manager's work doesn't change much from when I was a part-time worker though.
I just had a little bit more overtime work, a little less vacation, and a lot more working time on holidays.
....I feel sad now. Let's stop with gloomy stuff, I'm finally going to have three consecutive holidays now.

"I haven't had consecutive holidays in a long time. Wonder what I should do."

I was going to schedule various things, but in the end I couldn't decide what I wanted to do, currently I'm wandering around due to lack of sleep.
Yup, curse my indecisiveness.

In the end, I concluded that I'd finish my piled up errands first before creating my schedule.
There's a lot of things that need to be done like tidying up my laundry, airing the futon, and turning the pickles. Having led a single live for 35 years, I'm confident that my culinary and laundry skills won't lose to an average housewife. That's not something to be proud of though. It's a man who can do housework better because he can't get married.

In my case, it's cause I lost all my relatives in the earthquake three years ago so I had to do everything myself though. Man will manage somehow when they're driven to the edge.

Now then, I've got to stock up foodstuff on the way back. My spare money would disappear if I didn't amass them at bargain sales. I've finished the plan for tonight easily, tomorrow I'll assess where I'll be going.

I stock up foodstuff at a certain drugstore chain store. The revival of rural area hasn't advanced at all, there's no supermarket here. They've built convenience stores the foremost so I'm not particularly troubled with meals, but my wallet won't be able to endure it if I always buy my meals at convenience stores. Not sure if someone who works at one like me should say that though.....

I cram the foodstuff in the shopping-use My Bag and go back to my car.

Most of the things I wanted were on sale, so it really helped me. There's a lot of unforeseen expenses this month like my friend's wedding, so it's been hard for me.

Hm?

There's an unfamiliar glass marble on the passenger seat where I put My Bag at. Did I put this thing here? I look at it while thinking that. It's a glass marble where the color change like a rainbow depending on the angles where you see the light from. I put it in my trousers' pocket since it tickled my fancy somehow. I'm thinking of putting it as decoration somewhere in my house, an old man who seeks comfort is avaricious.
I revved up the engine and went back home while thinking that.

"I'm home."

I come back to my home where no one will greet me. Even though I don't have a family, this is one habit where I always inadvertently say when I come home.

"Let's cut up the tofu hamburg so I can always use it anytime I want and put it into the freezer. I'll just have a plain boiled Ramen today."

I love meat but once I became a 35 year old, my inter-cerebral alarm would rang if I ate too much of them. Thus I settled with tofu hamburg steak made of tofu and tofu residue. I get more quantity for less, it's a good value for money.
Once I'm done with the preparation, I do my daily routine of stirring the Nukadoko. These house and Nukadoko are things my parents and grandparents left for me. To be honest, it's too wide for a bachelor, and maintaining it costs quite a lot.
Even then, I don't have any intention of selling them. I can put some money aside if I economize, and I don't have money problem for living.

Slurp slurp slurp slurp

I noisily slurp the Ramen while staring at a novel-contribution site.

"Hm, so good. It's relatively more expensive than instant Ramen, but recently, this tastes as good as an average Ramen shop."

At one time, when I was completely into cooking, I tried to make my own noodles and crushed Tonkotsu for the Ramen, but it took surprisingly more labor and expense than I thought it'd be, so I don't think I would do it ever again. I don't think doing that is possible unless I'm running a Ramen business.

Takatan♪ Tanta♪ Takatan♪

The BGM of a certain peasant revolt's game rang from my smartphone. This means.....

"What's wrong no-good Kouhai?"

"You seriously said that first thing first dearimasu!? I think that's too cruel for this cute cute kouhai dearimasu."

We're exchanging jokes like usual. This Kouhai is one of my not-so-many friends, from my high school days.

"And? It's rare for you to call at this hour right? What's wrong."

"Um, you see, I got an information from the shop manager that Senpai would have consecutive holidays from today on, so it's a circumstance where I'm going there to return the DVD I borrowed a long time ago dearimasu."

"Ah, that huh. I'm planning to relax at home tonight, so you can go whenever you can."

"Got it dearimasu. Then see you later!!"

"Yeah."

Umu, a restless one like always. I can't imitate that light footwork. Mostly because I'm heavy though.

Slurp slurp slurp slurp

I'm thinking of cleaning up the room before my Kouhai comes as I'm noisily slurping the Ramen.

…………

"Hm?"

Did someone call me? Most of the neighborhood here are of old age and they're usually sleeping at this hour. This place is quiet and surrounded by mountains, so even a small sound will greatly echo.
I look around, there's no way anyone is around. No really, I'm not good with horror....

……las……po……lisj……

"....It's not an auditory...hallucination?"

Cold sweat flow on my cheeks.

Right at that time.

"Wha"

Light overflows from one part of the floor. Looking closer it looks like some kind of geometrical pattern.